WI: Diversionary force launched two weeks prior to Operation Olympic

If Operation Olympic had been launched, would a diversionary force filled with AA guns have been launched at least a week prior to wreck most of the Japanese kamikazes that were to attack the ships.
 
If Operation Olympic were launched, the Soviets would have had a good time annexing as much Japanese territory as humanly possible and leaving it to the USA to fight its way through the majority of Japanese forces. I'm not entirely sure that anything would change in those parts of Japan beyond replacing Kempeitei terror with NVKD terror, but the biggest beneficiary of Olympic would be the Soviet Union.
 
Yeah I think Richard Frank is the authority on this, and he argues in his book that the only real landing spot that the Americans could have hit and avoided a bloodbath was northern Honshu. The Soviets caught the Japanese completely by surprise and they would have been unable to rapidly shift forces north if the war continues past mid-August.

Despite all this, if the US lands in the teeth of the Japanese defenses in Kyushu or central Honshu then a diversionary attack would be very useful.
 
Yeah I think Richard Frank is the authority on this, and he argues in his book that the only real landing spot that the Americans could have hit and avoided a bloodbath was northern Honshu. The Soviets caught the Japanese completely by surprise and they would have been unable to rapidly shift forces north if the war continues past mid-August.

Despite all this, if the US lands in the teeth of the Japanese defenses in Kyushu or central Honshu then a diversionary attack would be very useful.

The Soviets may also be content to let the Americans have to fight a large-scale battle and to fight the amphibious war in the supporting role for a change. Japanese strategy involved Festungen and poorly-armed levies that were armed mobs, and that against the guys who orchestrated Bagration is asking for a whupping.

The USA would have as much difficulty here as it did in other large-scale engagements, which it had relatively few of in WWII. Japan can't win, but it can inflict Wacht Am-Rhein style embarrassments.
 
The Soviets may also be content to let the Americans have to fight a large-scale battle and to fight the amphibious war in the supporting role for a change. Japanese strategy involved Festungen and poorly-armed levies that were armed mobs, and that against the guys who orchestrated Bagration is asking for a whupping.

The USA would have as much difficulty here as it did in other large-scale engagements, which it had relatively few of in WWII. Japan can't win, but it can inflict Wacht Am-Rhein style embarrassments.

The key is whether good ol' Douglas MacArthur changes the invasion plan due to intelligence figuring out the Japanese are prepared for both Olympic and Coronet. I fear the worst for the US.
 
The key is whether good ol' Douglas MacArthur changes the invasion plan due to intelligence figuring out the Japanese are prepared for both Olympic and Coronet. I fear the worst for the US.

This would be the same Douglas MacArthur taken by surprise in the winter of 1950 after the PLA had already attacked once, so no, I don't think that would have happened.
 
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